GENERAL INFORMATION

Paraguay is a landlocked country between Argentina, Brazil and Bolivia, home to large swaths of swampland, subtropical forest and Chaco, wildernesses comprising savanna and scrubland. The capital, Asunción, on the banks of the Paraguay River, is home to the grand Government Palace and the Museo del Barro, displaying pre-Columbian ceramics and ñandutí lacework, one of the most popular handicrafts from the heart of Latin Americas – Paraguay.

Capital: Asunción
Government Type: Republic
Area: 406,752 sq km
Country comparison to the world: 61
Population: 7,025,763 (July 2018 est.), most of the population resides in the eastern half of the country; to the west lies the Gran Chaco (a semi-arid lowland plain), which accounts for 60% of the land territory, but only 2% of the overall population
Official Languages: Spanish and Guarani
Climate: subtropical to temperate; substantial rainfall in the eastern portions, becoming semiarid in the far west
Terrain: grassy plains and wooded hills east of Rio Paraguay; Gran Chaco region west of Rio Paraguay mostly low, marshy plain near the river, and dry forest and thorny scrub elsewhere
Natural Resources: hydropower, timber, iron ore, manganese, limestone

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Paraguayan foreign policy has concentrated on maintaining good relations with its neighbours, and it has been an active proponent of regional co-operation. It is a member of the United Nations and has served one term in the UN Security Council in 1967-1969. It maintains membership in several international financial institutions, including the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the International Monetary Fund. It also belongs to the Organization of American States, the Latin American Integration Association (ALADI), the Rio Group, INTERPOL, MERCOSUR (the Southern Cone Common Market) and UNASUR

At the political level, diplomatic affairs and international relations of Paraguay are officially handled by the Ministry of Foreign Relations, which answers to the executive branch of the government. The current Minister of Foreign Relations as of 2019 is Antonio Rivas Palacios.

Paraguay is a member of the following international organizations:
CAN (associate), FAO, G-11, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD (also known as the World Bank), ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, MONUSCO, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, Rio Group, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO